looking to pick up a mig welder but i dont want to spend a ton… what should i be looking for. should only be used to weld on brackets etc although i might be boxing a frame, really dont want to spend more than 500
you can do it with a home depot welder. but if you are thinking of boxing a frame i would step up a bit IMO.you can buy something under a grand and will work great.
what about this one
that is a great little starter machine. just don’t waste your time with flux core it will piss you off lol. just get a bottle off the bat and weld away. and pick up a good helmet.
I love my Lincoln welder.
PM me on the models your looking at. I can beat most prices
pm sent
[QUOTE=bgblockelcamino;747162]that is a great little starter machine. just don’t waste your time with flux core it will piss you off lol. just get a bottle off the bat and weld away. and pick up a good helmet.[/QUOTE
Thats about all that can be said. You will need some good heat to box a frame, but if you prep your metal right you can weld it on a lower heat but then you risk not having good penetration.
if you have 220v in your garage, get a 220 welder. that extra ass comes in handy when you have to weld thicker shit. i love my welder. bought it used. marquette 220v. older model, maybe late 80’s or mid 90’s.
also say buy used. get a better machine for the money you wanna spend. i wanna say there were a few welders on c-list in your range that were 1k+ machines.
220 is not an issue, i can always add a circuit, not sure about used cause i really dont know that much about them, i figure if i buy new i know it will work
Go see the used welder in person, then you can see if it works. Make the owner weld something with it, or do it yourself. If he wont let you, then dont buy it.
thats exactly what i did. doesn’t hurt to buy from someone you may know either. i knew the seller of my welder–so i knew he was not a shady person.
the miller that we had back at hybrid that i assume denis still has was really nice. i would personally get a miller over a lincoln, but i know how the ease of being able to buy the lincolns at home depot makes them quite appealing. We have 220v millers at mazworx, and honestly, unless you’re welding 1/4" plate and thicker, they are kind of overkill. They are way too heavy duty if you plan on doing any kind of sheet metal ever.
http://millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_140/
thats the one i would look at, i think the construction of it is a little better than the lincoln, better drive rolls, better gun, etc.
-jay
sorry, don’t feel like logging myself in
is there anywhere in Pittsburgh that repairs welders?
I have 2 older 220 volt 200 amp units,both are off brand (Century and Solar) machines but are still in decent shape.
the Century was bought years ago at Sears for $1400,the other was picked up cheap but has some issues.
hate to give up on them if they can be put back online for a few hundred bucks…like to at least have them looked at before stuffing them into a car heading to the shredder.
thanks.
there is a place in mckees rocks that repairs welders. look up welder repair in yellow pages. i had to get mine fixed a few years ago.
well thanks for the info from all, might be a thread to keep going for other unexperianced welder but i am on hold now at least untill i find the car, i had 2 i was looking at 1 is gone the other is way more fucked than i want to get into
century is owned by lincoln. so parts should be readily available. Even more interesting is the solar welder was made by century. so in essence, lincoln owns the rights to both of your machines now 
what model solar do you have? is it black, upright w/ bottle rack built in? stickers/decals make it look liek 70/80’s vintage. if so, it is a bad ass machine. i know of atleast 4 shops w/ that welder still in use.
yea the Solar looks exactly like that,model number 2175.
I went to that one after the main transformer in the Century burned up,then it fried a small coil in there this summer,I took the same looking piece out of the Century which brought it back to life but now the tip is always hot and I have no heat control.
it welds high heat all the time which has gotten me by but I have some sheetmetal to finish on my Nova and need to fix one of them.
thanks…I’ll look up the place in the Rocks I guess.
